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NEED TO KNOW
- An official White House account on X shared footage of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro arriving in New York on Saturday, Jan. 3
- The U.S. captured Maduro amid “large-scale strikes” across Venezuela, accusing him of drug-related crimes
- Maduro is seen in the newly released video saying “Happy New Year” as federal agents escort him at the US Drug Enforcement Administration offices in New York
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro is in New York following his overnight capture alongside his wife, First Lady Cilia Flores.
On Saturday, Jan. 3, Maduro, 63, landed at New York's Stewart Air National Guard Base having been accused of drug-related crimes. The White House’s official Rapid Response X account shared footage of his apparent perp walk, showing the moment Maduro was escorted by federal agents at the US Drug Enforcement Administration offices in New York.
Maduro is seen wearing handcuffs in the clip as he walks down a hallway surrounded by New York DEA officers. Addressing onlookers, he appears to say “Good night” and “Happy New Year.”
Donald J. Trump/truthsocial; Rapid Response 47/X
The president of Venezuela is being held at Brooklyn's Metropolitan Detention Center until he faces charges in Manhattan federal court next week, per the BBC.
Maduro’s arrival in the U.S. comes after President Donald Trump confirmed the capture of the controversial leader and his wife, Cilia Flores. Trump also confirmed “large-scale strikes” in Venezuela in a statement on Truth Social.
Trump, 79, has accused the Venezuelan president of drug trafficking and “forcing” migration to the U.S., as well as using oil money to fund his alleged drug-related crimes.
Trump ordered airstrikes on various Venezuelan sites, including the main military base, Fuerte Tiuna, the main airbase, La Carlota, El Volcán, a signal antenna site, and La Guaira Port, a seaport on the coast of the Caribbean, CBS News and the BBC reported, citing officials.
The Venezuelan government denounced the attacks in a statement, accusing the U.S. of trying to “seize Venezuela's strategic resources, particularly its oil and minerals” and “forcibly break the nation's political independence,” per the BBC. All national defense plans are to be implemented in the country after the strikes, the outlet reported.
Following Maduro's capture, Trump shared an unverified image of the Venezuelan President on Truth Social wearing large blacked-out glasses and headphones to limit his vision and hearing as he was transported to New York.
“Nicolas Maduro on board the USS Iwo Jima,” Trump captioned the image.
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Jesus Vargas/Getty
During a press conference on Saturday, the U.S. president said that during the attacks on Venezuela, Maduro reached a safe room but was “unable to close” the door as U.S. special forces broke through and seized him.
He added that even if the door had been shut in time, Maduro wouldn't have been safe “because we would have had the door blown up in about 47 seconds.”
Following Maduro’s capture, Trump said the U.S. will now “run” Venezuela.
“No nation in the world could achieve what America achieved, successfully capturing Maduro in the dead of night,” he continued. “We're going to get the oil flowing the way it should be…we're gonna run it properly. We're gonna make sure the people of Venezuela are taken care of.”

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